Policy Convening on Accelerating Innovation

WRI India along with Citi Foundation presents TheCityFix Labs India’s first initiative, 'Accelerating Innovation: Water | Waste | Energy’, on 8 October 2018 in Hyderabad, India.

The policy convening will engage distinguished speakers from government, entrepreneurship and impact investment on mainstreaming and scaling sustainable solutions in water, waste and energy management. At this event, gaps in the existing infrastructure, policy and regulation will be discussed, along with the potential for stakeholders to deliver collaborative solutions for a greener, more financially viable built environment.

Background

India’s rapid urbanization has led to a construction boom in the country with an expected 35 billion square meters of new buildings to be added by 2050. Evidence from multiple countries demonstrate that resource-efficient buildings are more affordable than conventional, non-efficient, buildings, particularly when indirect costs linked to health, productivity and pollution are accounted for. However, current building practices in India are extremely resource-intensive. For a resource-secure future, India will need to drastically change practices and deploy scalable solutions, so asset utilization is purposeful and efficient.

TheCityFix Labs India aims to establish a platform to help coordinate investors and the state for public good by helping to connect the innovation ecosystem. The Lab will identify innovative solutions in water, waste and energy management, seeking opportunities to scale sustainable built environments. The goal is to work with a cohort of entrepreneurs to help adapt their offerings and evolve their business models to better access investment and markets.